ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbial Physiology and Metabolism
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1595008
Kynurenine monooxygenase BcKMOL: A key regulator of growth, pathogenicity, and disease control in Botrytis cinerea
Provisionally accepted
- Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
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Kynurenine monooxygenase, a vital rate-limiting enzyme in the kynurenine pathway metabolic branch, has shown promise as a drug target for treating human neurodegenerative diseases. However, the role of kynurenine monooxygenase in plant pathogens and its potential as a molecular target have received limited attention. In this study, we identified a novel kynurenine monooxygenase gene, BcKMOL, in Botrytis cinerea. By generating mutants of this gene, it was found that the deletion of BcKMOL affected the changes of key metabolites in the kynurenine pathway in vivo, and the △BcKMOL mutant exhibits reduced growth and fails to produce sclerotia. Additionally, changes were observed in the morphology of mycelium cells and spores, and the mutant's pathogenicity was weakened. These findings indicate that BcKMOL positively regulates the growth, development, and pathogenic processes of B. cinerea. Furthermore, we screened two antibacterial peptides, CAMPQ3966 and CAMPQ4589, that target BcKMOL using MEGADOCK, HDOCK, and AlphaFold3. Both peptides effectively inhibited the pathogenicity of B. cinerea. These findings provide the foundation for developing novel drug targets for controlling gray mold.
Keywords: Botrytis cinerea, kynurenine pathway, Kynurenine monooxygenase, growth and pathogenesis, antimicrobial peptides
Received: 17 Mar 2025; Accepted: 04 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, Liu, Zang, Cao, Si, Zhang, Xing and Dong. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Jihong Xing, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
Jingao Dong, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
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